Thursday 31 October 2013

Need More Study on Concussions, IOM Says

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Organizations ranging from the CDC to the National Collegiate Athletic Association should develop and implement efforts to increase knowledge about concussions, an expert panel said. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Gene Therapy Boosts Walk Time in Becker MD

AUSTIN, Texas (MedPage Today) -- Walking ability improved markedly in three of the first four patients with Becker muscular dystrophy to receive a gene therapy designed to promote muscle growth, a researcher said here. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Apnea Treatment Eases Soldiers’ Depression (CME/CE)

CHICAGO (MedPage Today) -- Adherence to obstructive sleep apnea treatment reduced depression among men in the military and correlated with a serum growth factor as a possible biomarker, a study showed. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Lowering Uric Acid Reduces Kidney Risk

SAN DIEGO (MedPage Today) -- Patients who were able to stay on uric acid lowering therapy significantly reduced their risk of progressing to chronic kidney disease, researchers reported here. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

FDA Asks Ariad to Halt Sale of Leukemia Drug

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The FDA has asked Ariad Pharmaceuticals to suspend marketing and sales of Iclusig (ponatinib), a chemotherapy agent used to treat leukemia, pending further investigation of reports of "life-threatening blood clots and severe narrowing of blood vessels". via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Beta-Blockers Boost Heart Risk During Surgery (CME/CE)

CHICAGO (MedPage Today) -- Perioperative administration of beta-blockers during non-cardiac surgery may put patients at risk of acute heart problems, researchers reported here. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Lots of Texting, Emailing Going On in College Classrooms

Study found students use digital devices during class an average of 11 times a day via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

Immune System May Affect Germs on Your Skin

Study analyzed fungus, bacteria from skin of patients with rare genetic disorder via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

U.S. Malaria Cases Hit 40-Year High

Almost all the cases came from travelers to Africa, India, CDC says via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

FDA Announces Moves to Avert Drug Shortages

Interruptions can pose potentially life-threatening risks to patients via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

Epilepsy Often Hand-in-Hand With Other Health Problems: CDC

Doctors, patients share responsibility for preventing and treating co-occurring conditions, experts say via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

Feds post food allergy guidelines for schools

ATLANTA (AP) — The federal government is issuing its first guidelines to schools on how to protect children with food allergies.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Phony plastic surgeon accused of using silicone for Botox

By Jared Taylor MCALLEN, Texas (Reuters) - An unlicensed plastic surgeon working along the U.S.-Mexico border allegedly injected her victims with silicone instead of the typical Botox or saline treatments, and may have caused one client to nearly lose her leg, a Texas sheriff said Thursday. Nohemi Gabriela Gonzalez, 45, was charged Thursday with practicing medicine without a license, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. Authorities in Hidalgo County, on the Texas-Mexico border about 60 miles west of the Gulf of Mexico, said Gonzalez solicited as many as 30 men and women seeking Botox injections and other treatments for their buttocks, legs and faces. Many of the victims were immigrants in the country illegally, including exotic dancers who have eluded investigators, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Musculoskeletal MRSA Up Sharply in Kids

ORLANDO (MedPage Today) -- The rate of pediatric musculoskeletal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections increased between 2001 and 2010, increasing the level of required care, researchers reported here. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

‘Intensive' exercise may benefit heart failure patients

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some doctors caution people with heart failure against pushing themselves too hard physically. But a new analysis of past studies suggests heart patients may actually benefit more from relatively intensive exercise.

via Reuters: Health News Read More Here..

‘Intensive' exercise may benefit heart failure patients

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some doctors caution people with heart failure against pushing themselves too hard physically. But a new analysis of past studies suggests heart patients may actually benefit more from relatively intensive exercise. Researchers found people with heart failure had a 23-percent improvement in heart function after taking part in relatively high-intensity exercise programs. About 5.8 million people in the United States have heart failure, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Malaria in U.S. Hits 40-Year High

(MedPage Today) -- The number of malaria cases in the U.S. hit a 40-year peak in 2011, the CDC reported. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Post-Trauma VTE Highest in Older Kids (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- The risk of venous thromboembolism in young trauma patients increased most dramatically from ages 16 to 21, findings that could help develop protocols for VTE prophylaxis in pediatric trauma, researchers noted. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

A Definitive Ranking Of Every Burger Side

May the lards be ever in your flavor…

Packaged Potato Chips

Charisma: 0

Uniqueness: 0

Taste: 3

Je ne sais quoi factor: 0

Total: 3

Verdict: Potato chips from a package are literally the laziest side dish. The only acceptable reason to eat them is if you're at your stepdaughter's soccer game and you're so bored there's nothing to do but eat garbage.

Flickr: williac

Side Salad

Charisma: 0

Uniqueness: 2 (well, it's not a potato?)

Taste: 1

Je ne sais quoi factor: 1

Total: 4

Verdict: Why on earth would anyone order a side salad with a burger? You're already clogging your arteries with red meat and grease. Who are you trying to fool?

Flickr: mortonfox

Crinkle Fries

Charisma: 1

Uniqueness: 3 (for the shape)

Taste: 1

Je ne sais quoi factor: 1

Total: 5

Verdict: You'll eat them if they're there on your plate, but crinkle fries are starchy and unexciting.

Flickr: dukekim

Cole Slaw

Charisma: 2

Uniqueness: 2 (for the shape)

Taste: 2

Je ne sais quoi factor: 3

Total: 9

Verdict: A good cole slaw is a special treat, but most of the time you're just getting wet cabbage. Great slaw is too rare, thus a lower ranking.

Flickr: paxsimius

View Entire List ›

Post-Concussion Care Instructions Still Lacking

ORLANDO (MedPage Today) -- Emergency department discharge instructions for sports-related concussions did not improve over an 8-year period, despite readily available clinical guidance, according to a study reported here. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Injections Help Postpone Knee Replacement

SAN DIEGO (MedPage Today) -- Patients with knee osteoarthritis who were given injections of hyaluronic acid were able to delay undergoing total knee replacement, a researcher said here. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Obamacare controversy hits close to home for Capitol Hill staff

By Caren Bohan and Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers opposed to Obamacare are grappling with a predicament of their own making as they decide whether to move their staff into the new insurance marketplaces tied to President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul. More than three years ago, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa proposed an amendment to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, requiring U.S. lawmakers and their aides to purchase insurance coverage on the new online marketplaces known as exchanges. Obama's Democratic Party, which in 2009 controlled both chambers of Congress, saw it largely as a political stunt by Republicans who see the law as government overreach and have campaigned to scrap it. Now, House lawmakers face a deadline of 5 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Thursday to decide whether to fully follow the requirement, or exploit a loophole that allows them to keep certain staff on their current health insurance plans.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

U.S. workers can carry over $500 of health spending accounts: Treasury

Americans who use flexible spending accounts (FSAs) for healthcare costs may now be able to carry up to $500 of expiring money into the next year, the U.S. Treasury said on Thursday. An FSA allows individuals to set aside as much as $2,500 a year in pretax income for healthcare costs. In 2005, the Internal Revenue Service began allowing companies to offer their workers a 2.5 month grace period through mid-March during which they could use up any money that was left over. Now, an employer that sponsors an FSA can choose, as an alternative to that grace period, to allow its employees to carry over up to $500 to use during the entire following year.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Horsemeat found in canned beef at two retailers -food agency

A batch of canned sliced beef containing horsemeat has been removed from the shelves of retailers Home Bargains and Quality Save, Britain's Food Standards Agency said on Thursday . Routine tests by local government trading standards officers in Lincolnshire, eastern England, found the product, which was manufactured in Romania in January this year, contained horse DNA at a level of between 1 and 5 percent. Neither Home Bargains, the trading name of family-owned business TJ Morris, nor Quality Save, a chain of discount stores operating in northern England, could immediately be reached for comment. The beef tested negative for the drug phenylbutazone, or 'bute', the anti-inflammatory painkiller for sporting horses which is banned for animals intended for eventual human consumption as it is potentially harmful, the agency said.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Horsemeat found in canned beef at two UK retailers -food agency

Taking a Closer Look at How Meditation Improves Our Brains [Video]

Taking a Closer Look at How Meditation Improves Our Brains [Video] via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Obama blames 'bad apple' insurers for canceled coverage

By Roberta Rampton and David Morgan BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that "bad apple" insurance companies, not his signature healthcare law, are to blame for hundreds of thousands of people losing their coverage in the past few weeks. As administration officials scrambled to fix technical problems on an online insurance marketplace that is central to the success of the Affordable Care Act, Obama blamed private insurers for a separate problem that has critics questioning his honesty. The president has repeatedly promised that people who are happy with their health plans would not have to change coverage because of the law, known as Obamacare. But the termination of individual policies has given his Republican opponents additional ammunition to criticize the program they have tried to stop since its inception in Obama's first term.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

New York to raise cigarette sale age

New York City Council votes to raise the minimum age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21, a move the bill's sponsor says will save "many" lives. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

Poultry markets 'huge bird flu role'

Closing live poultry markets in China dramatically curtailed the spread of a novel strain of bird flu this year, according to an analysis. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

HIV antibodies 'have potent impact'

A potential new HIV treatment has a "profound and unprecedented" impact on the virus, according to a pair of studies. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

Internet chat 'has a positive side'

Experts say there should be greater focus on the positive effect internet forums and chatrooms can have. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

Where the penalty for miscarriage is jail

A country where a woman may be jailed for losing a child via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

The drugs derived from deadly poisons

The drugs derived from deadly poisons via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

The Hallmarks of Cancer 6: Tissue Invasion and Metastasis

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Closing Chinese Poultry Markets Stalled Bird Flu's Spread to People

Cases dropped quickly and dramatically, researchers found via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

Feds post food allergy guidelines for schools

ATLANTA (AP) — The federal government is issuing its first guidelines to schools on how to protect children with food allergies.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Is It ‘Illegal’ for Sebelius to Buy Exchange Plan?

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says "it's illegal" for her to obtain insurance on the exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act. Rep. Cory Gardner accused her of lying. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

SGR Repeal Bill: 10-Year Pay Freeze, but P4P Incentives

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The latest version of a bill to repeal Medicare's sustainable growth rate formula freezes payment levels through 2023 but creates a performance-based incentive program in 2017, according to a discussion draft obtained by MedPage Today. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

New York City Council votes to raise tobacco purchasing age to 21

By Curtis Skinner NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York City Council voted to raise the minimum age for buying tobacco to 21, the highest in the country, in hopes of reducing smoking among the city's young adults. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an anti-smoking crusader, was expected to sign the bill, which would become law 180 days later. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

U.S. F-35 fighter drops first guided bomb against ground target

By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet dropped a 500-pound bomb this week, hitting a tank at Edwards Air Force Base in California and marking the first time the new warplane has fired a laser-guided weapon, the Pentagon said Wednesday. An F-35 B-model jet released the Guided Bomb Unit-12 (GBU-12) Paveway II bomb from its internal weapons bay while flying at around 25,000 feet, successfully smashing into a tank parked on the ground, the Pentagon's F-35 program office said in a statement. It took 35 seconds to hit the target. "This guided weapons delivery test of a GBU-12 marks the first time the F-35 truly became a weapon system," said Marine Corps Major Richard Rusnok, the pilot who flew the plane during the weapons test Tuesday.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Billionaire candy heiress set for trial stemming from fatal crash

Billionaire candy heiress Jacqueline Badger Mars faces trial on a charge of reckless driving in an accident that killed an elderly woman, authorities said on Wednesday. Mars, 74, was driving a Porsche SUV on October 4 when it crossed into an oncoming lane of traffic and struck a minivan in Aldie, Virginia, according to the Loudoun County sheriff. A passenger in the backseat of the minivan, Irene Ellisor, 86, died at the scene. The people in the minivan were visiting from Texas and in Virginia for a wedding. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Initiative Raises Palliative Care Use in Cancer (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Consultations for palliative care doubled and readmissions declined by half following a pilot study of an initiative to standardize criteria for palliative and hospice care among cancer patients. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

U.S. appeals court revives patent fight over AstraZeneca drug

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reinstated part of a legal fight by AstraZeneca over a patent protecting its Pulmicort Respules asthma drug, months after the court temporarily halted competitors from distributing generic versions. The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reverses an earlier decision that generic drugmakers -including Apotex Inc, Sandoz Inc and Watson Laboratories Inc -had not infringed an AstraZeneca patent relating to the drug. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Glitch lists New York bakery, limo service as Obamacare advisors

By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - Telephones have been ringing off the hook at a Brooklyn cupcake bakery, an Indian restaurant and other New York City establishments, but the calls are not all helping business. Because of a glitch on a New York state health website, at least a half dozen businesses were wrongly listed as counselors who can help people select health insurance under the new federal Affordable Care Act. "Who would have figured that cupcakes would be confused with health insurance?" said Gus Rodriguez of Brooklyn Cupcake, which has gotten more than two dozen calls a day from people who want help in choosing a health-care plan. New York state's Health Plan Marketplace website listing the numbers to call was unveiled October 1, said Bill Schwarz, spokesman for the New York State Health Department.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

TCT: Death Risk Influenced by Hydration Choice (CME/CE)

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- Using a sodium bicarbonate solution instead of saline for hydration during and after coronary angiography might reduce the risk of death, secondary findings from a randomized trial suggested. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Obama blames 'bad apple' insurers for lost coverage

By Roberta Rampton and David Morgan BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that "bad apple" insurance companies, not his signature healthcare law, are to blame for hundreds of thousands of people losing their coverage in the past few weeks. As administration officials scrambled to fix technical problems on an online insurance marketplace that is central to the success of the Affordable Care Act, Obama blamed private insurers for a separate problem that has critics questioning his honesty. But the termination of individual policies has given his Republican opponents scope to criticize the program they have tried to stop since its inception in Obama's first term. Republicans' assertion that Obama had broken a major promise to the electorate was seen as potentially more damaging than the glitch-ridden website rollout on October 1 The law, known popularly as Obamacare, requires insurers to offer a higher level of coverage.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

New security issues surface for health website

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama claimed "full responsibility" Wednesday for fixing his administration's much-maligned health insurance website as a new concern surfaced: a government memo pointing to security worries, laid out just days before the launch.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Online forums a 'mixed bag' for depressed youth

Researchers said Internet forums and other online resources may be both good and bad influences when it comes to self-harm and suicidal thoughts among depressed young people. "Certainly there were ways in which the Internet gave anonymous support for people, for this population, and that could be helpful," said Paul Montgomery. Montgomery and his colleagues analyzed 14 studies that looked at Internet use and self-harm among people under age 25, typically teenagers and preteens. Self-harm includes intentional cutting and burning but is usually not intended as a suicide attempt. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Elderly exercisers have fewer broken bones after falls

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who exercise are less likely to fall, but if they do, they're also less likely to get hurt, a new analysis suggests. Researchers found that older adults taking part in fall prevention exercise programs were about 37 percent less likely to be injured during a tumble, compared to non-exercising participants. "Falls are recognized as a serious and common medical problem experienced by older adults, but it's also widely known that falls are preventable, and that exercise is an efficient way to prevent them," Fabienne El-Khoury, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health in an email. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Can Hearing Music in the Womb Boost Babies' Brain Development?

Study showed the effects of the learning was still apparent at 4 months of age via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

Gene Testing May Boost Lung Cancer Survival: Study

Finding tumors' genetic makeup allowed researchers to 'personalize' treatment via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

New Drug May Someday Battle Obesity and Diabetes

Mouse studies found it did double duty; human trials too short to see effect, researchers report via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

Walking Speed a Good Gauge of MS Disability, Study Says

This measurement may reflect ability to perform everyday household activities via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

Online forums a 'mixed bag' for depressed youth

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Troubled kids can find helpful support on the Internet. They can also find encouragement to hurt themselves and avoid professional help, suggests a new look at past studies.

via Reuters: Health News Read More Here..

Elderly exercisers have fewer broken bones after falls

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who exercise are less likely to fall, but if they do, they're also less likely to get hurt, a new analysis suggests.

via Reuters: Health News Read More Here..

Mosquitoes known to carry dengue, yellow fever seen in California

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A tropical mosquito known to carry dengue and yellow fever has been detected in California, raising concerns among public health officials and prompting intense efforts to prevent the spread of the potentially deadly diseases.

via Reuters: Health News Read More Here..

Kids’ Concussion Symptoms May Mislead

ORLANDO (MedPage Today) -- At least one symptom of concussion was common in roughly two-thirds of pediatric sports medicine and orthopedic patients who had no history of the disorder, researchers reported here. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Stem-Cell Therapy Misses Mark in Lymphoma Trial (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Progression of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma slowed significantly after autologous stem-cell transplantation, although overall survival did not improve, according to results of a randomized trial. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Mosquitoes known to carry dengue, yellow fever seen in California

By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A tropical mosquito known to carry dengue and yellow fever has been detected in California, raising concerns among public health officials and prompting intense efforts to prevent the spread of the potentially deadly diseases. The mosquito, known by the scientific name Aedes aegypti requires little standing water to reproduce. It's an aggressive mosquito and that in itself - the nuisance aspect - is going to be huge for people in our areas," said Steve Mulligan, director of the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District that encompasses parts of Fresno County. None of the specimens trapped and tested since the mosquito first appeared in California's Central Valley in June have been found to carry disease, and no illnesses associated with the insect have been reported. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Cargill bans Zilmax from beef supply until issues resolved

said on Wednesday that it will not buy cattle fed Merck & Co Inc's controversial cattle-feed additive, Zilmax, and will not feed it to its own cattle, until it is "100 percent confident" the animal welfare issues are resolved. "Cargill will not use it until we are 100 percent confident the animal welfare issues are resolved, plus we will also not use it until Asia and other trading partners accept it in their markets," the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters. Cargill also said it would not use Zilmax in its "beef cattle supply chain" until both issues were resolved.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Obama pledges to 'fix' healthcare

US President Barack Obama says he will take "full responsibility" for solving his troubled healthcare website's problems. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

Gene testing raises lung cancer hope

Offering genetic testing to lung cancer patients can save lives, research suggests. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

NEJM Paper on CPAP-Metabolic Syndrome Retracted

(MedPage Today) -- A 2011 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine had shown that CPAP partially reverses metabolic syndrome, but the paper is being retracted because of errors. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

TCT: CoreValve Helps High-Risk Patients (CME/CE)

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- Medtronic's CoreValve prosthesis for transcatheter aortic valve implantion showed a significant benefit for patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who had an extremely high surgical risk, a researcher reported here. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..